Handling 1MDB made me ill, says ex-minister Husni

© Provided by MToday News Sdn Bhd Husni Ahmad Husni HanadzlahPETALING JAYA: The stress of handling the 1MDB controversy and caused Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah to fall ill, leading to his resignation from the Cabinet this year, the former Finance Minister II said today.

In a press interview, Husni disclosed that a question from a senior official of Bank Negara finally prompted his decision. Husni resigned from the Cabinet in June, when a Cabinet reshuffle took place, and also from all party positions.

He said the official had said: “Everyone knows that you are not involved in 1MDB. Why are you feeling stressed over the 1MDB issue?”

Husni said he had been under heavy stress for months in dealing with the controversy over the debts and financial affairs of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, which is fully owned by the Finance Ministry.

He suffered prolonged high blood pressure, and had contemplated resigning since January. However, while he was flying to Laos for a meeting of Asean finance ministers, he fell ill.

“I told the officers that I can’t attend the meeting in the evening,” Husni told the Sinar Harian newspaper. He said the Bank Negara officer’s question “words opened my heart… I had to separate work, things that do not involve me and my condition.”

After his resignation, he felt relieved and “1MDB no longer disturbs my mind and heart”.

In the interview, Husni was reported to have spoken about hypocrites who dealt with corruption issues, and said he had been criticised for proposing efforts to improve Malaysia’s standing on corruption.